Improvement in the manufacture of hats and caps from straw braid



(lfOg'PARME'NTER. Manufacture of Hats-andflaps from Straw-Braid.

No. 205,130. Paten ted June'1s,]1s7s.

N. PETERS. PHDTO-LITHOGRAPNER, WASHINGTON D Q UNITED STATESPATENTOFFICE.

CHARLES O. PARMENTEB, OF AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS AND CAPS FROM STBAW BRAID.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 205,130, dated June 18,1878 application file April 10, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. PARMEN- TER, of Amherst, in the county ofHampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Hats, which improvement is fully set forth in thefollowing specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, in which- Figure 1 represents a cross-section of a hatembracing my invention. Figs. 2, 8, 4, and 5 illustrate various methodsof uniting the braid composing the hat.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

My invention relates to that class of hats which are composed of apractically-continuous strip of straw braid or like material, its objectbeing to utilize the entire width of the braid without increasing thecost of manufactiu'ing the article, andto join the edges of the braid bya scam in such manner as to hold said edges well together, while neitherthe thread nor straw will be unduly strained.

In sewing hat-braid heretofore the edges have been either lapped, orelse the braid was laid with fiat surfaces together and the edges even,as in Fig. 3, and thus stitched, so that, when opened or turned, thelayers of braid would stand edge to edge. In the first-mentioned mode avery heavy article is produced,

and much stock wasted on account of the lap. In the latter mode, inorder to get a firm attachment, the seam must be sewed so far from theedges that, when the braid is turned so, as to stand edge to edge, boththe thread and straw are greatly strained, the former ren dered liableto easily break, and the latter is torn or forced out of its properposition.

In carrying out my invention, I take a strip, A, of straw braid or othersimilar material usually employed in the manufacture of hats, and bendthe same in the ordinary manner to form a hat of the desired shape,while, as the bending operation is proceeded with, I lay one edge of thebraid against the other, while the two layers or rows being attachedstand at an obtuse angle to each other, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.,instead of lying flat against each other, and in this position they areguided so that the point of the angle formed extends a suitable distancebeyond the needle of a sewin g-machine to bring the seam in properposition, the stitches being formed in a line parallel to and at such adistance from the edges of the braid that, when it has been sewedtogether and is straightened out, the edges thereof lie adjacent to oragainst each other, as shown in Fig. 1.

The entire width of the braid is thus utilized in making the hat, andhence less stock is used than when the hat is made in the usual way byoverlapping the edges of the braid; and at the same time; owing to theposition which the rows of braid have to each other while being sewed,they may be brought directly edge to edge without causing upon eitherthe thread or straw any more strain than will be sufficient to hold theedges snugly together.

In sewing the braid together, as stated, I make use usually of a guideor rest, 0, which has a triangular shape in cross-section, and which isplaced between the braid so as to bring the two parts thereof at anobtuse angle, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, which figures respectively showa guide or rest having a different angle to the other. By altering theshape or angle of the guide or rest 0, the braid to be sewed can bebrought to various angles without altering the position thereofrelatively to the needles of the sewing-machine.

The stitches may stand at right angles to the braid, or may have azigzag arrangement,

as shown in Fig. 5, the form of stitch, of course,

depending upon the kind of sewing-machine to which the angular guide Gis attached or adapted.

What I claim as new is- 1 The method of sewing straw-hat braid byguiding the rows of braid longitudinally at an obtuse angle to eachother while being sewed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A hat or cap having its brim and crown made up from a continuousstrip of straw or otherbraid, said continuous strip being stitchedtogether edge to edge, substantially as described, and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand andseal this 6th day of April, 1878.

CHARLES O. PARMENTER. [1,. s]

Witnesses:

JAS. l. COOPER, L. D. HILLS.

